Aryn Sanderson
asanderson@mustangdaily.net
College students know just how they like it.
Louis Kimball and Gerry Bugas, the founders of Pluto’s, a restaurant chain based in the San Francisco Bay Area, know this.
After all, completely customizable, made-to-order salads and sandwiches are the reason for their restaurants’ success in college towns such as Davis, Chico and Palo Alto. They’re hoping the college town success spreads to San Luis Obispo.
“We actually came to San Luis over five years ago, and it reminded us of other college towns that we’ve done well in, except even more vibrant and with such beautiful weather,” Kimball said. “We knew then that we wanted to be a part of the neighborhood and be a part of this community.”
So Kimball and Bugas opened Pluto’s ninth location last week in San Luis Obispo’s Wineman Hotel building at 1122 Chorro St.
Pluto’s claim to fame is its create-your-own salad station. Customers tell their server their choice of lettuce, mix-ins and dressing, and the server tosses together a customized salad. The variety of ingredients ranges from grilled fennel to roasted bell peppers to flax seed.
The sandwich station also uses Pluto’s signature made-to-order protocol.
Pluto’s has set salads and sandwiches for the indecisive and offers sides and desserts to complete the meal.
The restaurant aims to fit a niche between fast food and full-service restaurants, Kimball said. Patrons order at the counter and do not tip, but food is fresh and served on glassware in a contemporary atmosphere.
As for the local competition, Kimball says Pluto’s tri-tip is unparalleled.
“I got to admit it, although San Luis has some incredible tri-tip sandwiches, some it’s really well-known for, we still think nothing can beat our Big Bang Lunar Dip tri-tip sandwich,” he said.
Pluto’s opened in the roughly 2,200 square-foot space across the street from Black Sheep Bar and Grill on March 26.
The space was vacant for years after earthquake retrofitting, Daisy Sharpe, office assistant at Anderson Commercial Real Estate Services, said.
Stan Carpenter, owner of the FedEx Office building across the street from Pluto’s, is excited to see the restaurant continue the ongoing revitalization of the Chorro Street area.
Other recent restaurant openings near Pluto’s include The Habit Burger Grill, Raku Japanese Fusion Cuisine and Chipotle Mexican Grill.
“I love Pluto’s because it’s fresh — and it’s on Chorro Street. I own the building across the street, so I want to see this street do well,” Carpenter said. “I think Chorro has the potential to be just as desirable of a location as Higuera.”
Pluto’s is attracting lots of foot-traffic, Kimball said.
The San Luis Obispo location has roughly 25 employees, and although the exact number of customers was unavailable, Kimball confidently says Pluto’s patronage is growing daily.
“It keeps building and building,” he said. “It’s definitely one of our best openings, even compared to the other college towns.”
In the San Luis Obispo location alone, diners go through 15 to 20 20-pound roast turkeys a day.
“They love that turkey straight off the bird in San Luis,” Kimball said.
Other bestsellers in San Luis Obispo so far include the “big, bountiful salads” and comfort foods sides, such as macaroni and cheese, garlic fries and sweet potato fries, he said.
Pluto’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week.